The ink isn't yet dry on the collective bargaining agreement that saved the season last Friday, so it would be folly to suggest that we know what's in store for baseball over the next four years.

But this much is certain: the settlement will affect different franchises in different ways, which, come to think of it, was part of the master plan. In order to restore some level of competitive balance to the game, some franchises had to give so that others could gain.

A look at some of the clubs to watch and how they might be helped or hurt by baseball's first truly negotiated agreement in the last 20 years.

Montreal Expos
With contraction off the table, we know that the Expos will exist next season and beyond, something that couldn't be said for certain only 10 months ago.

In which form -- and for that matter in which city or country -- we're still not sure. Some believe there's not enough time to relocate them to the Washington, D.C. area, that too much work would have to be done on their temporary home, RFK Stadium, in too little time.

But what's the alternative? Another lame-duck season in Montreal before sparse crowds? Another year of Major League Baseball put in the awkward role of franchise steward, exposed to all sorts of potential conflicts of interest? The sooner MLB can divest itself as Expos' caretakers, the better off everyone will be.

From a baseball standpoint, the increases in revenue sharing should help the Expos as much as any franchise, regardless of where they call home. No franchise has lost more homegrown talent because of economic reasons than the Expos. Perhaps now, some of those players can be retained.

Kansas City Royals
Now that the Twins are safe from contraction and built back to contender status, the Royals remain the very embodiment of the small-market franchise.

Their fan base is among the smallest in the game, and their local media revenue is almost non-existent compared to some other franchises. But there is an appettite for baseball here, as the 1970s and 1980s illustrated.

After serving as the model for home-grown talent in that span, the Royals have fallen mightily in the last decade, unable to produce the kind of prospects they once did. Worse, they've made a series of poor decisions on star players. They got nothing for Jose Offerman and Kevin Appier and not enough for Johnny Damon and Jermaine Dye.

Even more ominous is word that owner David Glass, one of the game's biggest labor hawks, is talking about scaling back the payroll next year. Instead, with the help of additional revenue sharing, Glass should be spending more in an effort to bring his team back to respectability after a decade as an also-ran.

The new agreement, sadly, doesn't include a mechanism that forces teams to re-invest the revenue sharing into the on-field product. But if the Royals don't commit to getting better, it's possible that this once-proud franchise could be finished.

San Francisco Giants
Unlike every other franchise that built a new ballpark in the wake of Camden Yards' opening in 1992, the Giants paid for their home, making them one of just three franchises -- the Dodgers and Red Sox are the others -- to serve as their own landlords.

That means that instead of a sweetheart lease deal, the Giants have a huge debt service to worry about, keeping their payroll in the mid-to-high level.

The Giants are one of the teams that could be hit particularly hard by this new agreement. Their revenues are high enough to place them among the payees, but their debt is such that they don't have a lot of financial wiggle room.

Worse, the team has either failed to get out of the Division Series or missed the postseason altogether since the ballpark opened, and with Barry Bonds aging and the cross-bay Oakland A's surging, interest in the Giants could soon level off, no matter how beautiful Pac Bell Park is.

Factor in the uncertain futures of both GM Brian Sabean and manager Dusty Baker, and this is a franchise in transition.

Boston Red Sox
Think the Giants are about to be hit hard? How about the Red Sox?

The team sold for $700 million earlier this year, plays in a 90-year-old relic with the smallest seating capacity of any ballpark in the game, sports a bloated payroll and is danger of finishing out of the postseason for the third year running.

Did we mention the quartet of free agents the year after next: Pedro Martinez, Nomar Garciaparra, Derek Lowe and Jason Varitek?

Any thought of a new ballpark is entirely out of the question now that the hefty increase in revenue sharing has come due. John Henry and Co. will have to figure out a way to renovate Fenway Park, squeeze some additional seats in here and there, and hope that new scouting director David Chadd can work miracles.

The farm system is depleted in the upper levels, which will make it difficult for the Sox to meet their goal of coming in under the luxury tax. They're commmitted to $66.5 million next year already for just eight players. And did we mention that the Sox, who have 11 potential free agents, can't look forward to draft pick compensation next June, since that was quietly stricken from the new agreement?

George Steinbrenner can console himself with this thought: He may be the hardest-hit in the wallet by this new agreement, but it will be far easier for him to meet his obligations than it will be for his arch-rivals.

New York Yankees
Yankee Stadium was on full alert Tuesday afternoon. Word was, The Boss was coming to town and he was in a very foul mood.

Who could blame him? The Yanks had lost three in a row and the recently settled labor talks were about to result in an enormous bill -- in the form of massive increases in revenue sharing and the luxury tax -- next season and beyond.

It's unlikely the Yanks' 4-2 victory over the Red Sox satisfied him. There's talk he's contemplating some sort of suit against MLB, arguing that the new agreement has unfairly targeted him.

And, let's face it, it did. Small-market owners, outspent by Steinbrenner in some cases by a margin of 5-to-1, were out for their pound of flesh. Try as it might to save him, the Players Association ultimately had to agree to offer George up in sacrifice at the bargaining table.

So he'll pay more, perhaps much more, in coming years. Is that likely to curb his spending habits? Only somewhat. Steinbrenner, it's agreed by many who know him, will continue to do what he has to do to win.

If that means owing more in luxury tax payouts, so be it. Players like Jason Giambi will still be in pinstripes. But the next time Enrique Wilson drops a flyball in the outfield, it's unlikely that Steinbrenner will go out and obtain Raul Mondesi.

In baseball's new economic landscape, even George will have to cut back sometimes.

Oakland A's
General manager Billy Beane must be doing it with mirrors. How else to explain three straight appearances in the playoffs with one of the game's smallest payrolls?

How else? Try great evaluation skills, proper budgetary management and a superb developmental program.

The A's have already locked up a number of their best young players, including Barry Zito and Eric Chavez. Chances are, the new deal will help them keep Miguel Tejada, who reaches free agency after next season.

Oakland has been the template for small-market teams, getting a lot out of a little. It's scary to think how good they can be now that they'll be given more resources with which to work.

Sean McAdam of the Providence Journal covers baseball for ESPN.com.